<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hey Joe,<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I believe that your verb is "tlaxcal(li)" + "-oa" (the first option below) = "to make tortillas". The problem is how the "mo-" reflexive is functioning. I'm going to answer this by showing how it works with a similar verb in modern Huastecan Nahuatl.</div><div>1. Let's start with the causative verb "ixtlahua", which takes "tla-" as an object. So we have, for example, "Fred tlaxtlahua", "Fred pays" or literally, "Fred causes s.t. (a debt) to be paid off". Since "tla-" ocupies the object slot, we can't use this form to mention anything else about the debt, such as what is owed, who the debt is owed to, or how much money might be paid. The best we can with this structure is say, "Fred tlaxtlahua tlen tzapotl", "Fred pays with respect to the tzapotl (that he owes)".</div><div>2. However, the native speakers here say, for example, "monequi motlaxtlahuaz ce tzapotl", "one tzapote needs to be paid for".</div><div>3. So, it looks like this "mo-" reflexive is capable of making a passive construction based on an object that is understood in the active construction of origin (tlaxtlahua), but not directly present in its structure.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Now, lets go to "tlaxcaloa", "to make tortillas". It is a intransitive verb, so it shouldn`t be able to go to a passive form using the "mo-" reflexive. Not surprisingly the native speakers say, "Fred tlaxcaloa", "Fred makes tortillas". However, they also say, "Motlaxcaloa eyi cuachiquihuitl tlaxcalli", "Three baskets of tortillas are made".</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>So I think we need to look for more examples of verbs that work like this: it looks to me like the "mo-" reflexive just causes the subject of a verb to disappear, but doesn't get involved in the object mechanism of the verb (like it normally would). </div><div><br></div><div>And now, on another note, I'd like to say a bit more about how the verb "ixtlahua" works in Modern Huastecan Nahuatl:</div><div>1. ixtlahui. (intransitive) "to restored or satisfied (Kartunnen, p. 121)". This is unattested in Modern Huastecan Nahuatl.</div><div>2. tlaxtlahua, ni. (causative), "to repay a debt". Example, "Delfina tlaxtlahua", "Delfina pays a debt". We can also say, "Delfina tlaxtlahua tlen pitzotl", Delfina pays a debt with respect to a pig".</div><div>3. tlaxtlahuia, nic. (applicative), "to repay a debt to s.o.". Example, "Delfina nechtlaxtlahuia", "Delfina repays me". We can also say, "Delfina nechtlaxtlahuia tlen pitzotl", "Delfina repays me with respect to a pig".</div><div>4. tlaxtlahuilia, nic. (applicative), "to repay a debt to s.o. with respect to s.t.". Example, "Delfina nechtlaxtlahuilia pitzotl", "Delfina repays a debt to me with respect to a pig". Notice how at this stage, the pig is finally incorporated into the structure as an object. We can also say, "Delfina nechtlaxtlahuilia pitzotl ica mahtlactli pesoh", paraphrasing, "Delfina pays me ten pesos for the pig", however, as you can see, the money is not incorporated into the object structure of the verb. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Ye ixquich, or as you would say in Modern Huastecan Nahuatl, "zanyainon".</div><div>John</div><div><br></div><div>John Sullivan, Ph.D.</div><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Profesor de lengua y cultura nahua</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Instituto de Docencia e Investigación Etnológica de Zacatecas, A.C.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Tacuba 152, int. 47</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Centro Histórico</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Zacatecas, Zac. 98000</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">México</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Oficina: +52 (492) 925-3415</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Fax: +52 (492) 925-3416</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Domicilio: +52 (492) 768-6048</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Celular: +52 (492) 118-0854</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><a href="mailto:idiez@mac.com">idiez@mac.com</a></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://www.idiez.org.mx">www.idiez.org.mx</a><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><a href="http://www.macehualli.org">www.macehualli.org</a><span></span><span></span><span></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span></span></font></div></div></body></html>